"When the world has got
hold of a lie, it is astonishing how hard it is to kill it. You beat
it over the head, till it seems to have given up the ghost, and behold!
the next day it is as healthy as ever." - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Yesterday's USA-Today (September 16, 2010) reported:

"CDC: Not
Enough Kids Drink Low-Fat Milk

I am astonished because CDC (Centers
for Disease Control) was originally established in 1946 to prevent
and cure communicable diseases, and in 1946, the issue was malaria. CDC's
original name was the Communicable Disease Center which was changed
to its current name in 1967.

Most Americans know CDC as the agency
which battles outbreaks of Aids and Ebola and Swine Flu and Avian
Viruses. CDC is first on the scene to combat biological and chemical
weapons of mass destruction and they are the leading edge of America's
defense against the use of such weapons by domestic and foreign
terrorists. Any 21st century moviegoer or Michael Crichton book fan
is aware of the all-important work that CDC's 14,000 public servants
perform with efficient use of it's annual multi-zillion dollar budget.
How did milk promotion make their list?

As you read the attached
article, many things offend the olfactory senses, but the one that
most bothered me is that the brand new report contains data that was
gathered in 2007-2008.

"Not enough children and teens drink
low-fat milk, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention reveals:

"Children and teens in the highest income
category reported drinking low-fat milk more often than those in the
lowest income group.

"Children and teens in the highest income
category reported drinking low-fat milk more often than those in the
lowest income group.

"Drinking milk is important for children's bone
health, but CDC experts advise that although young people need the
calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients found in milk, children aged 2
and older should consume low-fat milk and milk products to avoid
unnecessary fat and calories.

"The research, published in a CDC
report titled 'Low-fat Milk Consumption Among Children and
Adolescents in the United States, 2007-2008,' showed that about 73
percent of children and teens drink milk, but only about 20 percent of
them say they usually drink low-fat milk (skim or 1 percent).

"Meanwhile, the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey also revealed that about 45 percent drink reduced-fat milk (2
percent) and 32 percent reported they drink whole milk regularly.
"Older children and teens drink low-fat milk more often than younger
children. Although 13 percent of kids aged 2 to 5 usually drink low-fat
milk, 21 percent of kids aged 6 to 11 years said they do, along with
23 percent of teens aged 12 to 19.

"Ethnicity and income also
seem to play a role in the type of milk children consume. White
children drink low-fat milk more often than black or Hispanic children.
About 28 percent of the white participants said low-fat milk was
their usual milk type, compared to just 5 percent of blacks and 10
percent of Hispanics. Meanwhile, children and teens in the highest
income category reported drinking low-fat milk more often than those in
the lowest income group.

"In summary, the authors of the report
wrote:

"The overall low consumption of low-fat milk suggests the
majority of children and adolescents do not adhere to recommendations by
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and the American Academy of
Pediatrics for all children aged 2 years and over to drink low-fat milk.
Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Lets Move!' campaign and 'The
Surgeon Generals Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010' have
recommended promoting water and low-fat milk and reducing
sugar-sweetened beverages as components of comprehensive obesity
prevention strategies."

"The report, by Dr. Brian Kit and
colleagues at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS),
is published in a September NCHS Data Brief."

I
called the author of the CDC report, Brian Kit.

I wanted to ask, "Why
are you promoting skim milk when it contains powerful growth hormones?"
I also wanted to ask:

"Why are you using data from 2007 and 2008
and not more recent data?"

and:

"Do you have a background
in dairy research?"

Perhaps he will answer your questions. Two of
my telephone calls were ignored.

...are
mere coincidence and not a clever conspiracy produced by the folks who
bring you pus with hormones and glue, then YOU are an example of
yesterday's Notmilk column. Not a believer? Consider the planning it
takes to produce a low fat milk commercial and run it during a Yankee
baseball game which I happened to be watching last evening, or an ad in
my local newspaper yesterday. I might be more sensitive to such
coincidences than the average consumer...